Vegan Eggplant Meatballs with Za’atar Spices and Kale Pesto Sauce

Ingredients:

For the Eggplant Balls:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium eggplant, diced (about 3 cups of diced eggplant)
Sea salt and ground black pepper (to taste)
½ cup cooked chickpeas
¼ cup almond flour
1 tablespoon ZA'ATAR spice blend
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1-2 teaspoons lemon zest
A large squeeze of lemon juice
1/4 cup liquid drained from a can of chickpeas (aka chickpea aquafaba)
2 slices of bread, toasted and roughly chopped

For the Kale Pesto:
½ cup almonds
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 cups chopped kale (KALE)
large squeeze of lemon juice
salt and pepper
⅓ cup olive oil (may need more)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle a little olive oil directly onto the parchment paper and spread it out with your hands. Set the prepared baking sheet aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced eggplant and cook until the cubes are soft and golden on all sides (about 10 minutes). Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat, and set aside.
3. In a food processor, puree the chickpeas, almond flour, ZA'ATAR, garlic, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, and the liquid from the can of chickpeas. Blend until smooth. Add the roasted eggplant to the food processor and blend until smooth (there may be some chunks left). Add the coarsely chopped toasted bread and salt and pepper (to taste). Blend again until smooth and paste-like (there may be some chunks left).
4. Form the eggplant mixture into balls (about 2 tablespoons of mixture per ball). Place the balls on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 25-28 minutes (turn them halfway through).
5. To make the Kale Pesto: First, wash the bowl and blades of your food processor. Then add the almonds, garlic, and lemon zest to the bowl. Pulse until the almonds are coarsely chopped. Add the kale, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to the food processor. Blend until well combined. Slowly drizzle the oil into the food processor while blending (until you get a nice, paste-like consistency). You may need to use more oil than the recipe calls for. Once you have reached your desired consistency, add more seasoning to taste. Store the sauce in a covered container with a thin layer of oil on top (to preserve its color).
6. Serve warm vegan eggplant meatballs with pesto sauce, parsley, sliced ​​tomatoes, and lemon zest.

Yield: 4 servings
Recipe: thefirstmess.com